Tramain Thomas will experience that tension. There is no certainty as to where the safety from East Chambers, who played college football at Arkansas, will be selected in the draft.

He could be a late-round pick, selected somewhere between the fourth and seventh rounds on Saturday. But if he is not, there's a good chance he'll be one of the many players signed immediately after the final selection.

"I have no clue of what's going to happen these next few days," Thomas said. "Saturday will probably be my day."

Kelly graduate Kheeston Randall, a former Texas defensive tackle, is projected as a third- or fourth-round pick by CBSsports.com, so his wait could end tonight.

For all players, what happens during the waiting period could determine their destinations.

On Tyler-based agent Brandon Baade's laptop is a spreadsheet that lists the dozen or so teams most interested in Jackson, whose pro-day performance March 28 at Lamar compared favorably with other prospects.

Each listing on Baade's computer includes current NFL receivers and their contract terms. During the draft, Baade will add and reshuffle names as players are selected and traded.

The intent is for Baade to know the best place for Jackson to sign a free-agent contract if he is not drafted.

"As soon as the draft is over with, all the teams are going to be calling frantically trying to get players signed up," Baade said.

Jackson said he talked with roughly 12 teams in the weeks before the draft. He made his lone pre-draft visit to an NFL facility when he went to Jacksonville to meet Jaguars coaches.

Jackson has one team he most wants to join, but he is keeping that private.

"It's just a blessing to have this opportunity," Jackson said. "It's a dream to be where I'm at today."

The goal for all players is to have a place to go after the draft. With expanded rosters, more players can compete for jobs. The NFL announced Tuesday that offseason and training camp rosters will expand from 80 players to 90, allowing for as many as 320 additional roster spots through the third week of preseason games.

Those roster spots will go fast, and signing bonuses for undrafted free-agent players typically range from nothing to $10,000, said Dallas-based agent John Biggins, the agent for Hayes, Lamar's leading receiver the last two seasons.

If multiple teams call after the draft, the player and agent must act fast.

"You can't hesitate," Biggins said. "You can't have time to think about it. If you hesitate, they'll go to the next guy."

Those players are grouped into a free-agent pool. Teams commonly divide those players into three 25-man groups - the A-group being the top players, followed by B and C groups, said former NFL assistant coach Bill Bradley, now the defensive coordinator at Lamar.

After the draft, undrafted players once valued as possible sixth or seventh round picks will fall into the A group. That pushes a player from the A group to the B, and so on.

"As that seventh round is going on, they're calling," Bradley said. "They're saying, 'Hey, look, we've got you teed up to be the first priority free agent, yada, yada.' ... They want to get you signed up right now."

Teams will ask a player what he might be willing to sign for, and if a team can hold off on drafting a player to sign him as a free agent, it will.

Some undrafted free agents actually sign for more money than a seventh-round pick, Bradley said.

"It's a full day of tension," Biggins said.

For Hayes, the day will begin with a route-running session with former NFL quarterback Tony Banks. The session should help keep Hayes' mind off what is sure to be a nerve-wracking afternoon.

Biggins and Hayes will watch the draft together in a room at a Dallas-area Homewood Suites, Biggins said. His email will be up on his computer screen, and the battery charger for his cell phone will be plugged in.

On the television will be the draft.

For Jackson, the day will be a private one. He doesn't want many people around. He plans to watch draft coverage in Tyler with only his father, and maybe another friend or relative.

For Thomas, the day will be one for celebration, no matter what happens. His high school uniform No. 1 will be retired during an NFL draft watch party that starts at 11 a.m. at the East Chambers gym, with a tribute ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m.

The draft will not be finished by then. There's a chance Thomas will not have his name called by then. If that's the case, the real celebration will stay on-hold, but perhaps not for long.